The World Trade Organization (WTO) has authorized Canada and Mexico to charge the U.S. $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs for country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat. Last spring, WTO rejected a U.S. appeal of its decision
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Senators Ask Leaders to Repeal COOL Law on Meat to Avoid Retaliatory Tariffs
Five U.S. senators from three states, all Democrats, have let the leadership know that county-of-origin (COOL) meat labeling is not worth a trade war with Canada and Mexico. Led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the…
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USTR Tells WTO That COOL Damages Are Much Lower Than Estimated
Last week, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) filed a legal brief in the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute over mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL), arguing that the $3 billion sought by Canada and Mexico in…
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Senators Introduce Bill for Voluntary COOL Label
Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced a bill Thursday that would remove certain meats from the mandatory country-of-origin (COOL) labeling program and institute a voluntary label instead. In May, the World Trade…
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More Food Safety Issues Popping Up on WTO Committee Agenda
China, Costa Rica, and the European Union earlier this month put new food safety-related issues on the agenda at the World Trade Organization’s Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures. China told the SPS…
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Senate Agriculture Committee Mulls Options on COOL
The Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing Thursday to discuss country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for meat, which requires that packages sold in the U.S. indicate the country, or countries, where animals were born, raised and slaughtered.
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Michigan Senator Offers Voluntary COOL Draft for Discussion Purposes
The Senate Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday on country-of-origin labeling (COOL) and trade retaliation got something new to chew on. On the eve of the first Senate action since the House of Representatives voted to repeal…
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House Votes to Repeal Country-of-Origin Labeling for Meat
The House of Representatives has voted to repeal country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for beef, pork, and chicken. Texas Republican Rep. Michael Conaway’s Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015 passed late Wednesday night by a…
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WTO Rejects U.S. Appeal of COOL Ruling
The World Trade Organization has rejected a U.S. appeal of its decision that country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat unfairly discriminates against meat imports and give the advantage to domestic meat products. The final ruling launches…
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USDA: COOL Not Much of an Economic Benefit for Consumers
Country-of-origin labeling (COOL) does not provide much in the way of “measurable economic benefits” for American consumers and costs producers, packers, and retailers in the United States $2.6 billion a year for all covered commodities,…
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